Wuhu Introduction

The city of Wuhu lies in the southeast of Anhui Province, and the souththern bank of lower reaches of Yangtze River. It is a city rich in products, convenient in communication, and superior in economy and geographic location. Wuhu is an ancient city. The earliest city sites dates back to the Jiuzi State in the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, which locates in current Huangchi Village of Wuhu County. In 109 AD, Emperor Wu, Liu Che, in the Han Dynasty named the city Wuhu (literally means a lake with overgrown plants) because “The land is low and stored much water. So there are many overgrown aquatic plants.” In the Western Han Dynasty, Wuhu County was first set up. Current Wuhu City, which has a history of more than 2,000 years, is developed o­n the basis of that town. The climate in Wuhu belongs to the subtropical wet monsoon climate. There are many rivers and lakes in its territory. And it is also rich in rain and sunshine. The water network covers a large area in this city. The agricultural productions in Wuhu are mainly rice. It also abounds in oil plants, cotton, many kinds of fishes, as well as other economic crops. The Three Delicacies (hilsa herring, saury and crab), melon seeds and tea are especially famous both in China and abroad. There also formed national famous tea wholesale market, pork market and so o­n here.

Wuhu Traffic

AviationWuhu Airport has opened air lines from Wuhu to Beijing and Foshan. The airport is 119 kilometers away from Hefei Lugang Airport. The distance in straight line between the airport and newly built Nanjing Lukou International Airport is o­nly 58 kilometers.

RailwayFive railroads, namely, Wuhu-Nanjing, Wuhu-Tongling, Anhui-Jiangxi, Huainan and Xuanzhou-Hangzhou lines, connect in Wuhu and communicate it with other places of the nation. Opened to traffic o­n October 2000, the Wuhu Highway and Railway Yangtze Bridge integrated the north and south communications of Yangtze River. The city can reach Beijing-Kowloon Line and Long-Hai Line through Huainan Line to the north, and Hangzhou, Ningbo and Xiamen to the south. Address of Wuhu Train station: Wuhu Train Station locates in the center of downtown area. Bus No.4, No.10, No.15, No.19, No.31 and No.38 all reach the station. Wuhu Train Station Enquiry Phone Number: 0553-3120000

HighwaysWuhu is an important hub of communication in the Along Yangtze River Highway Network. The total highway traffic meter age is 1,530 kilometers, more than 100 kilometers of which are in the urban area. National Highway 205 and 318 run through the city. The superhighway from Wuhu to Hefei is now opened to traffic. The construction work of Wuhu section of The Along Yangtze River Highway has already completed. The superhighway connecting Wuhu and Hangzhou now has been put into construction. There are bus lines directing to Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Taizhou, Yangzhou, Yancheng and other big or small cities.Address of Wuhu Bus Station: Wuhu Coach Bus Station (city center, opposite the train station)Enquiry Phone Number: 0553-3111611

Boat Wuhu Port is the last fine deepwater port along the upstream bank of Yangtze River. It has more than 70 quay berths. And the annual passage capacity is 23 million tons. The classifications of the ships include class o­ne, class two, class three, class four and so o­n. There are scheduled ships to big cities along Yangtze River, for example, Chongqing, Puling, Fengdu, Zhongxian, Xituo, Wanxian, Yunyang, Fengjie, Nanjing, Nantong, Shanghai, and so o­n.Address of Wuhu Port: Zhujiaqiao Foreign Trade Quay, Gangyi Road, Wuhu City, Anhui ProvinceTelephone: 0553-5840510

Municipal transportation The main vehicles in Wuhu are buses and taxis. The starting price for all kinds of taxis is 5 yuan. After driving for 2.5 kilometers, it charges 1.2 yuan for every extra 1 kilometer. The taxis allow passengers to wait for five minutes for free. It charges extra 0.24 yuan per minute after five minutes. After driving for 10 kilometers, the taxi charges an extra 50% empty fee, i.e., 1.8 yuan per kilometers. Bus ticket is generally 1 yuan. Some of them are 2 yuan to 4 yuan.

Wuhu Festivals

The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West. All people living away from home go back, becoming the busiest time for transportation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees. The Spring Festival falls o-n the 1st day of the 1st lunar month, often o-ne month later than the Gregorian calendar. It originated in the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 BC-c. 1100 BC) from the people's sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end of an old year and the beginning of a new o-ne.Strictly speaking, the Spring Festival starts every year in the early days of the 12th lunar month and will last till the mid 1st lunar month of the next year. Of them, the most important days are Spring Festival Eve and the first three days. The Chinese government now stipulates people have seven days off for the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The Festival of Lanterns takes place at the end of the Chinese New Year Celebration, o-n the fifteenth day of the first moon. Lanterns have been part of Chinese life for centuries so it's not surprising to see a festival of lanterns. People usually hang lanterns in the gardens, outside the houses, and o-n the boats. These lanterns are signposts to guide guests and spirits of ancestors to the Lunar celebration. After a sumptuous fifteen-day feast, these lanterns light the way for the spirits back to the world beyond. Silk, paper and plastic lanterns vary in shape and size and are usually multi-colored. Some are in the shapes of butterflies, birds, flowers, and boats. Other are shaped like dragon, fruit and animal symbols of that year. The most popular type of lantern is the "horse-racing" o-ne, in which figures or animals rotate around the vertical axis of the lantern.The special food for the Lantern Festival is Yuen Sin or Tong Yuen. These are round dumplings made with sticky rice flour. They can be filled and served as a sweet snack or made plain and cooked in a soup with vegetables, meat and dried shrimp. The round shape of the dumpling is a symbol of wholeness, completeness and unity.The Lantern Festival is an occasion for families to get together and for everyone--young, old, rich and poor to have fun.